I knew the 'chopper' (if it is designed like that from the factory, it aint a chopper) craze would die out eventually. It does suck that a lot of people are out of jobs but they had to have seen the writing on the wall too. I wonder if the WCC/OCC sticker, t-shirt, and coffee mug market is slowing down too.

ZedX

March 5th, 2008, 12:48 PM

I had fun on mine while i had it, thought I was Jesse James every time it fired up. But the horrible service from the factory made me get rid of it. They failed to warranty two known issues with the bike to the tune of $700 parts only. :mad:

http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/7833/4f-cruiser10.jpg

jdugger

March 5th, 2008, 08:11 PM

Perhaps the word finally got out these things are only handle well enough to ride between two nearby bars?

bjhughes

March 6th, 2008, 09:47 AM

I say we wait it out a bit longer until the market really dries up...then we pick up some of these boat anchors real cheap, convert them into some cool bobbers or old style flat-trackers, and run the squids out of North Texas.

Who's with me?

jdugger

March 6th, 2008, 10:00 AM

Who's with me?

I have an itch to try and make a sports bike, but with a pivot swing arm and rear-style shock in the front instead of the usual forks. Basically a rotating swing arm in the front coupled to the rest of the bike through a traditional steering head/bearings assembly.

I have the chassis fab skills and equipment for the metal working portion of the job, but I don't think I could change the oil in a lawnmower, so I need help on the mechanics.

I have an itch to try and make a sports bike, but with a pivot swing arm and rear-style shock in the front instead of the usual forks.

You realize you're talking BMW here, right?

ZedX

March 6th, 2008, 10:23 AM

You realize you're talking BMW here, right?

Jim is used to being far behind the BMW's. :p

Brad Felmey

March 6th, 2008, 10:33 AM

He can't see the BMWs for the KTM sekrit-agent oil fog.

jdugger

March 6th, 2008, 01:06 PM

You realize you're talking BMW here, right?

Sorta... the BWM is an inspiration of sorts. But the way I'd imagined mine was a lot more akin to a pivoting regular rear swing arm installed in the front than BMW's design. It's a "keep it simple" design that's basically just a regular rear end, but with a pivot point and handle bars welded on above the suspension linkage.

I do have some concerns about the design promoting a LOT of unsprung weight, so I'd be curious to run it by some engineer types.

What it's NOT is a bimota style single-sided swing arm with a pivot at the end of the arm -- sort like half an indy-car design. I don't want to deal with the mechanical complexity of all the linkages in that design. In my design, you are basically just moving the whole swing arm right to left. (and, that might be a real disadvantage!)

The BMW design looks like normal forks until you get up to the head, at which point you see the shock and the unique design.

I'll try to draw it out next time we are together.

jdugger

March 6th, 2008, 01:10 PM

He can't see the BMWs for the KTM sekrit-agent oil fog.

:lmao::lmao::lmao:

bjhughes

March 6th, 2008, 03:22 PM

But the way I'd imagined mine was a lot more akin to a pivoting regular rear swing arm installed in the front

So then the Sachs design from the 60's/70's ?

jdugger

March 6th, 2008, 07:31 PM

So then the Sachs design from the 60's/70's ?

Perhaps... got a reference on this?

Vee4Rider

March 7th, 2008, 06:03 AM

Yamaha GTS 1000

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamaha_GTS1000

http://www.pashnit.com/forum/showthread.php?t=374

The front suspension of the GTS is similar to the double-wishbone suspension which has been found on race cars for many years. To accommodate the 90 degree twist on this older but effective idea, the lower swingarm is single-sided. A telescopic steering shaft provides direct input to the front wheel from the handlebars. The front wheel hub is mounted on a spindle attached to a steering knuckle. Two ball joints are used to connect the steering knuckle to the upper and lower A-arms.

bjhughes

March 7th, 2008, 09:38 AM

Perhaps... got a reference on this?

You've never heard of Sachs?...and you call yourself a "motorcyclist"?

How about DKW? Penton? They used Sachs engines. My two brothers both raced DKW's back in the day (probably before you were born!).